The Broken Road
by raelyn7510
Summary: Book 1 of the Wayward Highways. Dean and Sam first meet Cameron at an abandoned house haunted by an angry spirit. They find out that she has a different way of handling things and their father would call it witchcraft. She on the other hand is wiccan and uses the elements to help her. As feelings develop will Dean let go of his misconceptions or will it drive her away?


Chapter One: The House

"Come on Dean. We need to find dad," Sam growled. "Why do we need to keep on this? We can't save everyone and lately it has seemed to be back firing on us. I don't even know if dad really planned on these cases." He glared out the window at the small town of Onancock, Virginia.

I glanced at him. "Jeez, Sammy. You know for someone who wanted to stay out of the crusade, you sure are trying to push your way back in it. I mean I get it, I do. But the moment we find dad it's going to be cases like these so I thought, get you back into practice so he doesn't yell at you."

"What did I say about calling me Sammy. And I guess I see your point. But Jess's killer is still out there and I don't want it to keep doing this. Most people wouldn't know how to handle it. We need to stop it, now. And the longer we wait, the more chances the demon has to ruin someone else's life."

I slammed on the brakes, throwing the car in park and faced my brother. "You don't think I know that? For one moment think about the bigger picture. We don't know where the demon is or really what it looks like other than yellow eyes. And on top of that to have something other than black eyes, now that motherfucker must be more powerful than we have the knowledge to beat. So before we show up on its doorstep we need to get answers." My chest heaved from the rant as I glared at him.

Sam smirked before chuckling softly. "I remember telling you similar stuff before. The tables have turned. Alright I get it. Maybe if we keep this up, the demon will take notice and start to mess up."

"There's the idea," I said, facing the road and driving again. We drove to this abandoned house that kids have disappeared in. A fence, which clearly had been crudely patched multiple times, surrounded it. "Well, this looks like our kind of problem." I pulled up to the curb across the street; sighing as I looked at the gate and saw the chain lock dangling from one side. "Why do kids have to go explore abandoned houses…"

"Blame the horror films," Sam said, pushing open the door. He got out and went to the trunk.

"You're probably right," I laughed as I followed and opened the trunk. We grabbed a duffle bag and grabbed our long guns with rock salt. I stuffed my pistol in the waistband of my jeans. "Ghost or something else do you think?"

"Most likely a ghost in this type of a place," he said. "I couldn't find much on the place." He shouldered the bag and looked at me.

"Let's go." I walked toward the house, glancing around at the quiet neighborhood. "You'd think after the disappearances they'd set up a watch or something."

Sam shrugged. "Remember we snuck around guards before as kids. It isn't that hard." He pulled open the gate slowly and I pushed through.

Moving down the walkway I kept scanning my eyes back and forth. "Maybe this town has a problem with kids. I mean I know that kids are sneaky and can be smart. But honestly, find a way to keep them out."

"Dean are you sure, this is the source? It just looks like an old house kids like to tell scary stories about." Sam followed with a sigh.

As I approached the steps I noticed what appeared to be fresh footsteps through the dust and dirt on the porch. I put a finger to my lips, looked at Sam and pulled my gun and badge. I started for the back motioning him to take the front. I kept low and slowly opened the back door and shuffled into the dilapidated kitchen. As I paused by the island I saw a woman step out from where she must have been hiding, her back to me. I followed where she was looking and saw Sam's large shadow cross through the window. She moved a bit down the hall and I followed to the doorway where I straightened and leaned on. "It's alright Sammy. You can come in. She saw your shadow anyway."

She jumped and pointed her gun at my forehead, "Who the fuck are you?!"

I pulled out my fake badge. "No the question is who are you?" I had my other hand on my gun.

She pulled her own badge and held it to my face. "Here first. So get the fuck out." She put the badge away.

I smirked. "I don't think so." I nodded at Sam as he walked in. "We have just as much right to be here as you."

She frowned before groaning. "You're a fucking hunter, aren't you? Of course. Of course I had to run across another hunter." She leaned back against the wall behind her.

I raised a brow. "Got a mouth on you. That's the most I've heard a woman say fuck in any situation." I saw Sam facepalm as he shook his head.

She slammed her head into the wall behind her as she muttered, "Of all the damn times I had to run into other stupid hunters…"

Sam frowned closing the distance. "Uh…"

"I wouldn't do that," I said and she looked at me. "You know slam my head on the wall. And we are not stupid."

She glared at me. "First off, this is my hunt and clearly you don't know when another hunter would like you to hit the road. Second, I don't need some _**dude**_ with an alpha male complex and his boy-wonder sidekick to fuck up my case."

I gaped at her fo a moment. She was punching nerves and I wasn't going to have it. "Ever think hunting alone isn't smart?"

"For me it is," she snapped, her free hand a tight fist. "Now I repeat...Leave!"

I smirked before looking at my brother. "Sammy, what do you think?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Dean...it is her hunt and she clearly doesn't want us here," he said, starting to turn away to leave. I sighed heavily and pushed off the wall.

"So please leave-" There was a soft groan that echoed in the house. She tossed her head back as she dug through the bag at her hip. "Fuck." She pulled out a jar of salt to make a circle. "I don't know about you two, but I don't need to be killed by a wraith." She held up the salt as she bent down checking her gun. "So make your own circle."

I took it from her and walked over to Sam before surrounding us with salt. "Wraith? You mean the ghost?" I frowned this wasn't usually the place wraith's go to hang out.

"If that's what you want to call it." She pulled out a satin bag, before setting the gun down next to her knee. She pulled out a bundle of leaves all banded together and cursed. "Of all the damn times to forget my lighter…"

I looked at her. "I have one."

"Then find it and hand it to me so I can try to at least get the damn thing to go back to sleep." She dug around her bag a bit more and then searched her pockets.

"What's the sage for?" Sam asked. Of course he would recognize leaves.

She looked at him a slight tilt to her head. "It'll cleanse the area."

I pulled my flip lighter out. "I'll give it to you, but we get to stay." I shook the lighter lightly.

"Are you freaking serious right now?!" I could see the anger radiating off her as the groans turned to angry screams. The ghost appeared over what looked to be a stain.

"Dean, just give her the lighter!"

"Fine." I tossed her the lighter and watched her light the sage. Then just as quickly as she lit it she blew it out. I frowned as I caught the lighter she tossed back at me. Then I realised she was chanting something. The ghost, an angry young woman, glared at us before dissipating the longer the chant went on.

"Ok...it's asleep...for now…" she sighed.

I put the lighter away before looking at her. "Well I still don't think anyone should be going after ghosts alone. Especially one like that."

"I can handle it. Dealt with one in Georgia three years ago. By myself." She stepped out of her salt circle and then started waving the smoke around. "I don't need to asshats bugging me."

My hands balled into fists. "Excuse me?"

She looked over her shoulder. "Oh, are you deaf too?" She raised a brow as she smothered the sage, the smoke disappearing. Then she stuffed it in her bag before walking out the door.

Sam tugged lightly on my sleeve. "Dean…"

I turned to him and snapped, "What Sam?" I regretted it, I wasn't mad at him, not even at her really. I was more or less frustrated by the events. "Sorry."

He seemed to dismiss it as he looked past me at the woman, I hadn't gotten the name of. "What kind of hunter uses a smudge stick and knows ancient Gaelic off the top of their head?"

"I have no idea." I started to walk away.

"Dean…" He grabbed my arm with a heavy sigh. "I can only really think of one being who would know an ancient language...used for spells…"

_Witch._ The unspoken word lingered around us for a moment before I threw out my arms. "Great...Just freaking great…"

"Yea…" His eyes went to the door. "I could be wrong...but…"

"When are you ever wrong with something like this," I finished. "Well let's go get to the bottom of this…" I turned and went outside Sam right on my heels.

"Wait… Dean. We could just leave...I mean she doesn't seem to be hurting anyone and she is working on stopping the ghost…"

"Not going to do anything to her. Just want answers, Sammy." I walked over to the little cafe I had seen her go into. Once in the building I spotted her and sat across from her in the booth. "What kind of witch hunts ghosts?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet mine in a glare. "I do recall saying get off my hunt."

Sam came over panting. He looked at me with a raised brow. "Dean, you don't just sit down with a girl you just met!"

I smirked at him. "Is that why you never get a number?"

He glared at me as she leaned back with her arms crossed. "I repeat one last time. Go away and get off my hunt. I was here first, and you are really starting to piss me off."

I pulled out a pen and grabbed a napkin. I wrote my number down before sliding it to her. "Call us when you need us."

"I don't sleep with hunters." She still tossed it into her purse and I shrugged.

"Not what that was for, but use it however you wish." I was expecting her to crumple it and throw it back at me. This woman confused the hell out of me.

"Fyi...I'm not a witch."

"Whatever you say, Sabrina," I said, getting up and moving to a different table with Sammy following. I leaned forward in the booth so as to keep the conversation between us. "We're going to wait around."

Sam groaned heavily. "Don't you ever think? She's a witch, do you really think it's a good idea to aggravate her?"

"If she wanted to do something, she would have by now." I looked toward her. "Don't worry Sam."

He leaned back a smirk playing across his face. "Alright...but you realize she's probably gonna burn your number right?"

"I don't know about that." I shrugged. "Anyways that doesn't matter. She can't say I didn't try to help."


End file.
